Josephine “Thina” Vicklund Enkhouse DeWitt

Information provided by Lynn DeWitt of Susanville, CA.

Frederick Enkhouse
By all accounts Enkhouse  was a bit of a rogue with a temper in the mix.  That made him news worthy.  He was found guilty of running an illegal gambling game of Stud-Horse Poker for money at the Hermitage Saloon in Goldfield.  (Gambling was strictly regulated in the early days.)  In a fight over a poker game, Enkhouse bit off a piece of an opponent’s ear.  And, once he suffered some sort of episode and believed his wife (Thina) and her friends were planning to murder him.  He was restrained, and carried away for what today would be a mental evaluation.  He did recover.  A colorful character to say the least.

Josephine Christina “Thina” Vicklund was born Nov 23, 1885 in Blair Wisconsin.  By 1905 she was married to her first husband, Frederick Enkhouse, and living in Grand Encampment, Wyoming where their daughter Alice was born.  The early 1900’s was an exciting time for Goldfield.  Gold was king… and attracted people from everywhere and every walk of life.  There was money to be made and opportunities to be taken advantage of.  Sometimes it was a fleeting stop and sometimes folks stayed awhile.  Such was the case of Frederick and Thina Enkhouse.

The couple and their young daughter, Alice, moved from Grand Encampment, Wyoming to Goldfield during the gold rush.  The exact date is unknown.  But, during their time here, another daughter, Ethel, was added to the family in 1907.

Life between the couple was apparently not an easy one because several years later, Thina left Enkhouse in Goldfield and took her girls to Wendel, California by train never to return.  But we do have this photo of Thina in Goldfield showing a smiling young woman in the prime of her life.  It is unknown if the man in the photo is her husband Frederick, a friend or stable employee. Records suggest that Thina was granted a divorce sometime in 1912

Thina was a hardworking, determined woman and things did improve for her and the girls.

Thina in her golden years with one of the many grandchildren, nephews and nieces that filled her life. She passed in 1963 at age 78 in Lassen, California and her remains rest in Janesville, CA

She found work and she and her daughters persevered.  Family lore says she worked as a cook for the Railroad for a time.   Eventually Thina met and married William Henry DeWitt in April 1914 and settled down with him at the DeWitt Ranch near Wendel, California.

An anniversary photo of Thina and second husband Wm Henry

The 1920 Census lists Wm Henry’s occupation as General Farming.  He’s also listed as an employer overseeing a number of employees.   He and Thina went on to have six more children. The first born was named *Willliam Franklin followed by Thelma, Donald, Willa, Paul and Phyllis.   Henry passed away in April 1948 .  He was 58 years old.